Conference News: Event Group gets New CEO; UNLEASH Seeks Sun; GDC CFP
UNLEASH on the Beach: The team behind the UNLEASH conferences has announced that their North American show will move from Las Vegas to the Miami Convention Center in 2027. UNLEASH Miami will be held between 13–15 April and will again focus on changing the way organizations think about HR and innovation. Some of the topics covered by the conference include operating model readiness; workforce and skills intelligence; AI and automation; reward, pay and fairness systems; and data, trust and people infrastructure.
CEO of New Event Co: Earlier this year Apollo funds announced that it would acquire Emerald Holding, Inc. and Questex, LLC to create a leading North American B2B experiential and media platform of approximately 160 events. And just last month, they noted that the new holding company will be led by Paul Miller, who was Chief Executive Officer of Questex. Since becoming CEO of Questex eight years ago, he has grown the company and expanded its portfolio across industries, including hospitality, travel, healthcare, life sciences, beauty, and technology.
Submission Opportunity: The conference formerly known asGame Developers Conference (GDC) is now the Festival of Gaming, “a five-day experience that extends beyond the Moscone halls and brings learning, connection, and celebration together.” Regardless of what you call it, if you have a topic/speaker suggestion for the 1 – 5 March 2027 event, you must submit them by 6 August via the online form. The event will again feature several tracks which include: Audio; Business Strategy; Career; Culture & Sustainability; Design; Educators; Executive (Luminaries Speaker Series); Independent Development; Marketing; Narrative & Performance; Production & Team Leadership; Programming; Tabletop; and Visual Arts. In order to increase your chances of acceptance, read the speaker FAQs before completing the submission.
Lunchtime Learning: Human+Tech Week is a multi-day event which convenes builders, operators, researchers, and investors in San Francisco each year. Sessions focus on applied AI across work, health, and cities, “turning ideas into systems that improve how people live, work, and thrive.” Surrounding the Summits, partner-led and city-wide events extend conversations across the city, creating space for continued learning, exchange, and collaboration throughout the week. Check out some of the on-stage conversations here, including Michele Jawando, CEO of Omidyar Network on why AI is design, not destiny; How Immersive Gaming Tech is Reshaping Human Experience with Craig Donato (Former Chief Business Officer, Roblox), Robin Arnott (Founder & CEO, SoundSelf), and Chethan Ramachandran (CEO & Co-founder, Skillprint) and Thomas Insel, Co-Founder & President of AdvocateMH on how AI is transforming mental health care.
Coming Up Next Week: Aspen Ideas: Climate convenes scientists, policymakers, innovators, and business leaders when it’s held 20-22 July across three different Chicago venues. Meanwhile in Bangkok, Bloomberg Sustainable Business Summit will hold its fifth annual Asia-Pacific summit on 22 July, asking how “business and finance leaders are shaping the next phase of globalization by strengthening resilience, advancing climate adaptation and driving a multi-speed energy transition across Asia’s diverse markets.” From 21-22 July at The Glasshouse in NYC, Games For Change/G4C explores “Reimagining Play” – how play has evolved beyond games into a living, evolving force for change. The 14th annual 930gov (28 July; Washington, DC) is designed to bring together leaders, innovators, and practitioners from across the public and private sectors under the 2026 theme: “Mission-Enabled Modern Technology Forum.” And from 20-22 July, the Digital Hollywood Summer Summit offers virtual sessions covering the future of entertainment, media & technology.